High stakes
The stakes are high. Google appears to believe its ability to grow is under threat if it is prevented from using its dominance of general web search as a springboard into new markets and technologies. Philosophically and practically, the EU’s decision is an early but significant step towards labelling the company’s main product a natural monopoly that may require long-term regulation.
Think of National Grid or BT’s Openreach telecoms network. For the most part there is only one way to reach consumers with electricity or broadband, so their operations are tightly controlled by law, with separation from retail services to protect competition.
Search next?
Could Google search one day face similar restrictions? Perhaps online advertising sales could be separated from the monopoly search provider, for instance. It is a distant threat and such drastic action would require evidence of monopoly abuse on a grand scale, but it is the sort of thing Google’s army of lawyers and lobbyists worry about long term.
While search is a vastly profitable monopoly, its relevance has declined in the smartphone era, in which consumers spend vast amounts of time on social networks and go straight to apps to transact. The valuable “intent to buy” searches Google was tinkering with when it attracted the European Commission’s ire are increasingly carried out on Amazon. Google wants, though does not yet need, to prove it can innovate to maintain its role at the centre of online life.
It could therefore hold its hands up, pay its fine, make the necessary changes to its products and then examine how it ended up here, to avoid a repeat. It is already facing further EU investigations of the contracts it uses to tie partners to its mobile software Android and its advertising network.
Or maybe Google is still feeling lucky. Either way, it still truly needs to find its own 'blockchain' moment ... fast!
Indeed. Google will be the next AOL if they don't. And quite frankly, I wouldn't mind if everyone had the power of Google in their own hands. Enough monopolies... there's 7+ billion people on this planet for fks sake (I know... not an accurate statement seen that Google ain't even in China)
The AOL-ification of Google. Nice.
Things are changing so fast for our generation that we don't even know how to keep up. When I was smaller, I remember my parents talking about big changes to life as they happened... nowadays, we rarely catch change as it happens but rather talk about it after the fact. It's like we just got put on fastforward that is slowly speeding up
And the rate of change (RoC) is only accelerating @debunked! What lies beyond blockchain??
Ayyayay! Another universe, maybe where people walk on their hands and talk with their feet :-)
Ha ha! LMAO! :)
lol !!!!'blockchain' moment ... fast! yah it must do that!
how are you @mindhunter on this beautiful morning
In the #blockchain-moment right now ... that's the flow .... :)
its the trending flow ,its either you join or be left to your misery.
Did you check my latest offerings today?{blog}
Off for a look at this bungee thing!
its awesome
Any monopoly will be destroyed by the TIME. Google is not an exception...Blockchain-search сompetitors already going to the market. For example, ahoole
Google destroyed Microsoft, so who will destroy Google? "Blockchain competitiors ready!!"
Let's see it 2027 ))
Lets make it 2025 :)